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Thursday, 8 September 2011

Major software update for Virgin Media's TiVo will contain support for iPad Companion App

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 09/08/11 --
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), a leader in advanced television services and personal video recorders (PVRs), and Virgin Media Inc. (NASDAQ: VMED) (LSE: VMED),
the UK's leading digital entertainment provider, today announced
details of a key new feature coming to their next-generation connected
TV offering which will allow customers to take control of the TiVo
powered service through a cutting-edge iPad companion app. The feature
will be made available as part of the first major software update for
the system and is designed to build on the user experience of the
award-winning service. Virgin Media plans to roll-out the software
update, which will feature the companion app as well as other new
features to be announced, in the coming months.

The TiVo companion app will allow Virgin Media customers to use their
Apple iPads to interact directly with their TiVo service and extend
their viewing experience beyond the remote control. After installing the
free TiVo companion app, users can interact with the elegant, intuitive
TiVo user interface directly on their iPads to search across Virgin
Media's content, including the TV Guide and thousands of hours of
content available through its video on demand library, without
interrupting what they are already watching on TV. With just a couple of
swipes on the iPad user can immediately and seamlessly begin viewing
the content they have discovered via their TiVo app right on their TV.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at
Virgin Media, said, "The way viewers watch television is changing faster
than ever. Partnering with TiVo has helped us develop the most advanced
and flexible TV system in the UK ensuring our customers are able to
enjoy the best connected television offering available in the market
today. In less than a year since launch we are already building new
features to offer our customers more ways to enjoy their service with an
unprecedented user experience, and maintaining our position at
forefront of technological innovation in TV. The companion app and other
forthcoming enhancements we are working on form part of our long term
strategy to deliver the most dynamic and user friendly multi-screen
entertainment experience in the U.K."

Since its launch in December 2010, the Virgin Media: TiVo service has
been heralded by mainstream media(1) as 'the most sophisticated piece of
hardware you can connect to your television.' Users of the product are
able to enjoy a host of content ranging from hundreds of traditional
television channels to a myriad of content streamed directly from the
online sources via BBC iPlayer and YouTube through its built-in
broadband connection as well as Virgin Media's vast video on demand
library all seamlessly folded into TiVo's award-wining user interface
with its easy-to-navigate search and discovery functionality.

Joshua Danovitz, VP & General Manager, International, TiVo
Inc., said, "Virgin Media is a partner that recognizes where the future
of television is headed. Through working with TiVo, Virgin Media has
quickly implemented an award-winning user interface with TV's most
innovative features and functionality, available anywhere in the U.K.
With the initial rollout of Virgin Media: TiVo Service underway, it is
already driving more measurable user satisfaction than any other hybrid
television experience in the UK further demonstrating that TiVo
continues to be the best way to watch television, bar none."

TiVo and Virgin Media made this announcement during the 2011 IBC Conference which runs from September 8-13 in Amsterdam.

....the introduction of new features to
TiVo planned for the second half of this year will not come all in a
single update.

I just hope to set expectations because it seems
that a rumour has been heavily perpetuated on this board that there is
one all encompassing update to come. In actuality, there will be a large
update, but other feature updates will follow very soon after this
update (as their introduction had the update itself as a dependency).

The actual contents of the update (or should that be updates?) remain secret to anyone outside the beta trial panel, but we do know that improved picture quality for standard definition content is among the list of issues which Virgin are looking to fix. Red button functionality is probably on the list somewhere, indeed the website states that "Red Button functionality will be coming
in the future to our TiVo service."